[ We find Our Heroes outside the odd village! With high walls. Description ensues! ] * Tia waits for the exposition this time. :P [ The walls, as mentioned, are tall, and constructed of ten feet of rough stone masonry topped with another twenty feet of spiked logs. The buildings inside the walls peek over them, and you can see Desmodu looking down at you from them with open curiosity. ] [ The gates, which are large and made of a quilt of various metals, are open, and several Desmodu stand guard near this entrance. The entrance, oddly, is on the opposite side of the city as the road. ] [ The Desmodu standing guard are, like all their kind, big and shaggy. Unlike the others you've seen, however, they're also armed with large weapons featuring an axe head at one end and a large hook at the other, as well as armored in unusual breastplates that keep their wing- flaps free. One approaches you as you approach the entrance, evidently intent on talking to you, or whatever it is guards do when a bunch of weirdos walk up. ] [ Session Start! ] * Vall slides off Tia's back, rubbing his butt slightly from where he was sitting. * HKenji walks forward to the head of the group. "Greetings. Do you speak common, Desmodu?" * Tia rears up and waves. "Batmenbatmenbatmen!!" [ From the look Kenji gets, the answer is probably 'no'. ] Down, Tia... Back, Tia. * Tia glances at Vall, then sits back down. Vall, see if they know this... undercommon. No hugging the batmen. Yeah, Tia. Best leave them alone. [ The Desmodu shies away from Tia, and his companions all grip their weapons a little tighter. ] * Tia nods ruefully. "Okay, I won't." * Patrick smiles. * Tia still looks a little excited, though. * Vall nods to Kenji, and approaches the guard spokesperson. In undercommon, he says, "Greetings." Heeheehee. * Tia whispers to Patrick, "What's he saying?" * WillS eyes the weapons of the Desmodu curiously. "Kenji, any idea what kind of weapons those are?" * Patrick translates to Tia and smiles. ^_^ * Seylin watches Vall and the Desmodu. It reminds me of a scorpion weapon known as "Pincers and tail." * Tia nods back to Patrick. "I think these bat-men are fuzzier. Do you think maybe they're softer?" [ "Greetings, you strange-looking person. You, er, came from the high exit. Are you allied with the one who dwells beyond that tunnel?" ] One uses the hook to disarm or dismount, and follows up with a slash from the other end. * WillS nods. "Wierd looking weapons. Sounds potent though" Maybe, but we shouldn't find out. *in undercommon* "We have met him, but I would not say that we are allies. However, we are not his enemies." *in undercommon* "Be assured, we do not come here with intent of malice. May we enter your village?" [ "We're fine as long as you're not doing his bidding. No messages or anything? You're sure?" ] * Tia nods. "I don't want to hurt the bat-men. That made me sad." *in undercommon* "I am certain." They are... formidible, in the hands of a skilled user. As is any weapon, really. They are, however, inherently inferior to the katana. What's a katana? * Seylin seems to be trying to pay attention to both Kenji and Vall. * Ariake just stays back and listens. Hehe. Kenji. You think everything is inferior to the katana. That's because everything IS inferior to the katana. [ The desmodu sighs, which is accompanied by strange clicking. "Very well, then. I must ask, for I'm curious, where do you come from? We have never seen your kind here before. You're all pale-colored." ] Mmmhmm. What's he saying now, Patrick? They're talking about where we came from. And Vall's assuring them that we're not in total allegience with Bryon. *in undercommon* "Most of us come from the surface." Oh, okay. * Tia wags her tail and grins at the Desmodu. [ "Well, yes. Another part than the one the tunnel leads to? Is there more?" ] * Patrick smiles. *in uc* "There is more, yes. There is another tunnel from that lit area that leads to where we began our journey." Hey, Kenji? What's a katana? The longer of the two blades I bear, Tia. Oh. Is it really better than everything? Yes. Even better than my axe? (in his opinion) Yes. Really? But it looks so small... It is small, compared to you. Eh, it's not the size of the armament. * Patrick smirks. "Each weapon has its place. In some instances the katana is superior, in others the axe is." [ The desmodu clicks some more. "Very interesting. You can come in, sure. If you want, I can send for a guide for you. Not all of us speak Undercommon, and you probably will never be able to understand our own language. Too many harmonics, seems." ] * Tia nods. "I guess it is." *in uc* "Excuse me while ask my companions, then." He's asking if we want a guide to translate for us to their native language during our stay here. * Tia turns her attention back to Vall and nods. "I want to know what the batmen are saying too!" * Seylin nods. "Sure, why not?" That would be very helpful of them. Sure. ^_^ I'm inclined to say yes, as I've a few questions for them. Kenji? Will? Your opinions? Yes. Acquire the services of a translator. * WillS nods. "But be careful. These bats certainly don't look too friendly" Hey, Vall, can you ask them if they know how to make pancakes too? * Tia grins. * Patrick shrugs and smirks. "I'm fairly positive the ones up top were mere exceptions to the rule." * Vall nods, then visibly winces at Tia's question as he turns back to the desmodu. In uc, he tells him, "A guide would be welcome; thank you for the offer." * Tia leans over and whispers to Patrick, "Did he ask them?" [ The desmodu nods, turns to his companions, and makes a series of grunts and chirps, as well as some noises you can't hear except for a slight ringing in your ears. ] * Patrick whispers back. "No he didn't, but he might later." * Tia nods. "Okay." *in uc* "One thing has me curious. I take your words to mean that you are not on good terms with the one who dwells beyond that tunnel. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to try to understand why. To us, he seemed harmless; odd, yes, but harmless." What's he saying now? Pancakes? Not yet, Tia. We'll let you know when he does. * Patrick nods. We'll let you know. ^_^ Okay. * Tia grins and her tail wags harder. Maybe I could take one of these bat-men home with me? They look a little sturdier. Maybe it wouldn't mind my hugs... No, Tia. I don't think they'd like that at all. That...probably wouldn't work well, Tia. Sorry. [ "We... don't like to talk about him. At all, if possible. I would ask you, on behalf of the city, not to bring it up in conversations with other of our kind." ] * Tia looks a little down. "Oh." *in uc* "I'm not sure I understand, but we will do what you ask." * Patrick rolls his eyes. What're they saying now? [ "Thank you, trully." He sketches a sort of odd bow. And about then, another Desmodu, this one smaller and less shaggy than the others, comes through the entrance. He must be young, because he's only five and a half feet tall or so. ] * Vall nods to the desmodu, and turns back to the group. "He's asked us not to discuss Byron in conversation with any of them, and seems hesitant to explain why." * Ariake sighs. "Well, it sounds like they have the right idea." I think it's pretty obvious, but let's continue. * Seylin smiles pleasantly at the guard desmodu and the new arrival. * Ariake bows politely. * HKenji inclines his head. Just slightly. Barely, even. * Patrick nods to the Desmodu. * WillS nods. * Tia grins and imitates Ariake's bow. * Vall mutters something to Patrick. What'd he say about pancakes, Vall? * Patrick smirks. Didn't ask just yet. Oh, are you going to ask our translator? [ The young Desmodu comes scampering up on all fours, then stands up when he reaches you, bowing like the guard did just now. He says "Greetings! I am" and follows this up with grunts and chirps and clicks and whines, but you're pretty sure the sound 'Bob' is in there somewhere. ] I'm sure one of us will. Yeah, Tia *really* wants to know. * Seylin waves to the young Desmodu. "Hi there! May we call you 'Bob'?" Hi, little bat-man! Pleased to meet you! * Tia glances at Seylin. "Can I hug him?" * Patrick smiles to the small batman. "Heya. What's up?" ^_^ No, Tia. We've only just met. Oh. Okay. * Vall looks up at the Desmodu, and nods * Tia extends her large hand to the Desmodu instead. I'm Tia! What's your name again? [ He nods. "Yes, you can." He touches a medalion around his neck and looks at you all again. "Wow, you're really not Drow." He glances at Tia. "And she's really... big." Then he looks Seylin over. "And you've got wings! Did the others loose theirs, or are you just the only one lucky enough to have them?" ] * Seylin giggles. "I'm just lucky, I guess." ^_^ * Patrick smiles. "Yeah, Tia is, and yes, Sey is lucky. I'm Patrick." ^_^ * Tia taps Seylin on the shoulder. "Hey, what's he saying? What's his name?" His name's Bob. * Seylin turns to Tia. "He said we can call him Bob, and he wondered if we all were supposed to have wings, or just me." Bob? Yep. I have wings! You do! * Tia grins proudly. * Seylin turns back to Bob and speaks in Undercommon. "Oh, I'm Seylin! It's nice to meet you!" Hiya, Bob! Can you make pancakes? * Ariake gets the general idea. "I'm Ariake." [ "Hi, Seylin! That's a nice name. So simple. Funny inflection, too. Er, what's the big one saying? She's not gonna attack me, is she?" ] No, she's not. She, uh, wants to know if you can make pancakes. Did you ask him? Did you ask him? * Vall looks slightly relieved as Sey asks. * Tia wags her tail. Ask him to show us to an inn. She asked, Tia Yaaaay! [ "Uhm... I dunno. What're pancakes?" ] * Tia jumps up and down excitedly. * WillS smiles and nods. He doesn't understand anything that's going on but tries not to appear too lost. They're made of batter - y'know, flour and stuff - and you put them on a griddle and cook them. Do you have anything like that? [ Bob watches her jump, worried-looking. ] Heehee! * Vall informs Bob of everyone's names, and then says, "Kenji's asked for us to be taken to an inn. Is there one in your village?" Oh, Sey, can you ask him about Mr. Dragon back there? In a second, Tia... Okay. * Tia grins widely. Best to ask that once we're at the inn, Tia * Patrick walks over to Bob, talking in undercommon. "Don't worry. She's really a nice person, just has trouble controling her strength." ^_^ Okay. I can wait. [ "Yes, actually we do. We don't call them that, though, and you probably can't hear what we do call them. I mean, your ears aren't able to. We, uhm, talk differently than other peoples we've met." ] [ "She's really scary. And big. Can you make sure she doesn't knock any buildings over on accident?" ] That's okay. She'll be thrilled that you do have them. Although she'd probably want a lot if she does know... and, yeah, we will. * Seylin turns back to Tia and speaks in Common. "Tia, can you maybe not jump so much?" Oh, sorry. It's okay. Be careful, and then maybe we can get some pancakes later! * Tia calms down substantially, though she still grins and her wings quiver slightly. Might want to keep some control on that tail of yours, Tia. We don't want to damage anything or anyone. Pancakes? He can make them? Yep! The inn is likely not Tia-proofed like our suite is. Oh, right. Sorry. I forget about my tail all the time. But only if you're really careful. * Ariake nods. * Tia lifts a hindpaw and steps on the end of her tail to keep it from flailing. * HKenji shakes his head sadly. [ "Anyway, where would you all like to go first? We have a nice market near the center of the town. We've also got some places you can rent beds at and order food from very near to the entrance here." ] *to Bob* "The inn first, please." * Seylin turns to those who need a translation. "They've got a marketplace and an inn. Inn first?" [ "Inn? You mean the place with beds, right?" ] * Patrick smiles. "Yes." Right. Are there beds for me too? * Ariake nods. Arranging for lodgings is a priority. * Tia claps her hands. Can we go shopping too? I like shiny things. Sure, after we get things settled at the inn. Of course. ^_^ [ "Alright. This way, please." ] Let's go, guys! [ The desmodu walks off through the exit! ] * Tia follows along at a lively gait. * Patrick follows, looking around as they go. * Vall follows the desmodu. * Ariake follows. * Seylin heads on in. * HKenji walks along at as sedate a pace as he can manage while keeping up. * Vall looks around as well, taking in everything. *to Bob* "What can you tell us about the dragon over there?" [ He leads you a slight way into the city, and you all arrive at a building that's unique because it's made of stone; all the others are made out of lots of wood, much of it carved in artsy ways. It has a sign with writing on it, and a woodcarving of a bat grinning stupidly. ] * Tia gazes around the city in wonder. "These are pretty." * Ariake nods. "Beautiful buildings..." [ "The dragon? He's eccentric, but he's copper, and I hear that's the way coppers are. He likes riddles, and if you put up with his he'll give you prizes for it." ] They really are. True works of art. What's little bat-man saying? The copper dragon's what you'd expect. Vall asked about the dragon. Apparently, he likes riddles, and he'll give you prizes if you answer them. Oh, oh! I like riddles! * Ariake hmms. "I'm no good at them..." [ He leads you all into the building, and goes over and clicks and grunts with a larger Desmodu inside. He turns to you all. "You do carry gold, right? I mean, as money?" ] A riddle contest. * HKenji reaches into his pack and casually sets down a handfull of gold. "I trust this will suffice?" * Vall eyes the pile of gold. "One of these days you'll go broke from overpaying." [ Both the Desmodu gape at the handful of gold. "Er, that's more than he would've asked. Are you sure you want to pay that much?" ] * HKenji shrugs. "Money is irrelevant." [ "Uh, right." Bob clicks at the other Desmodu who grabs the gold and bows many many times to Kenji before scuttling off to put it somewhere. ] * Vall mutters something in orcish under his breath * Patrick chuckles. "Hey man, if you have nothing nice to say, don't say it." [ Bob shakes his head. "Your friend just made him rich. I'm sure he'll make all the puncakes you want, now." ] * Vall gives a thumbs-up to Tia. * Tia grins."What'd he say?" * Ariake raises an eyebrow. You'll be getting lots of pancakes, Tia. No, no. Puncakes. ^_^ Really? * Tia wags her tail...only it's impeded by the hindpaw that still weighs it down. Kenji here made the innkeep a very rich bat-man. Are puncakes like pancakes? * Seylin giggles. "Very much so." Why would they be different? ^_^ I hope they taste just as good! [ The supposed innkeeper returns, and clicks and warbles at Bob, who says "Would you like to see your rooms now, or have a meal first?" ] What's he saying? Food or rooms first? Food! ...a bath. I like baths too. Hmm, a bath sounds very good,. * Tia grins at Kenji. *to Bob* "I think the rooms first." Bath then food. Bath! Bath! Bath! * Patrick just smirks. [ "Alright. This way," and he walks off, the innkeeper following you all cheerfully. The rooms he takes you to are all large enough to accomodate their primary feature; a hammock large enough to accomodate a desmodu, which makes them really big for everyone but Tia, for whom they're barely just big enough. ] * Tia follows along, humming cheerfully. * Patrick whistles. "Nice place." * Ariake follows, looking around. "Very nice..." I like this village. Looks comfortable! I like Bob. * Vall nods appreciatively. "Very comfortable." Wow. Never slept in a hammock before. These bats live well. Thanks, Bob! You haven't? Man, you're missing out man. [ The rooms have shards of glass with copper tabs on them; these, Bob explains, cast light when you hold them and want them to. Other than that, the rooms are largely featureless, except that all have a foot-square wooden plaque with a sun on it. ] ...odd sleeping arrangements. [ Bob listens to the Innkeeper make noise at him, then says "Is there anything else you'd like?" ] * Seylin turns to the group. "Do we want anything else right now?" Is there a larger room available for our one companion? * Ariake shrugs. * Vall nods his head in Tia's direction Um, pancakes, maybe? Or a bath! * Tia grins and barely steps on her tail in time to keep it from breaking things. [ "No, but there are stables across the street if that'd be better for her. The hammocks will hold her, tho. They're sturdy." ] Tia, do you think you can use one of these rooms, or do you need something larger? Baths, Seylin. * Tia steps into one and experimentally jumps onto the hammock. She settles in comfortably. "Heehee, I like these." It's been far too long since I've bathed properly. * Seylin turns back to Bob. "Do you have bathing facilties?" * Tia nods. "I want a bath too!" * Patrick chuckles. "We're seeing about getting baths." * Tia swings in her hammock and grins. [ "Bathing? Yeah, actually. I've never gotten that, really, but you furrless types seem to like dunking yourselves in water, and whatever works, right? This way." He leads back down, and then out. ] * Tia jumps out of the hammock and follows. * Seylin follows, too. * Ariake follows. * HKenji follows Seylin. * Vall hangs to the rear of the party, following them * WillS follows Kenji. I assume were going to the baths now right? Yep! o/` Bathtime! * Tia grins down affectionately at Bob. [ He leads you to a large outdoor bathing pool. It looks like it's a natural spring, but down the middle is a masonry wall. On one side of the wall is the word "Males" and on the other is "Females", both in Undercommon. The famale side is much nicer. ] * Patrick follows. * HKenji walks towards the "female" side. Uh, Kenji? * Tia follows Kenji. Wow. Do they have non-bat people here often? That's our side. That's the women's side, Kenji Kenji? That's the women's side. Oh. * HKenji switches directions and heads for the male side. * HKenji looks around for a washing area where he can cleanse himself before soaking. We'll see you guys in a bit! * Ariake heads for the female side. * Tia almost follows Kenji into the men's until Seylin's words register, and she stops herself. * Seylin heads for the female side. Heehee...oops. * WillS goes towards the male side of the spring. * Tia follows Seylin and Ariake instead. [ They've sort of got one; each pool has an ornate limestone fountain to one side of it. The fountains seem sort of grown, like whoever made them got the lime to deposit just so. ] * Vall stops by a bench on the male side, takes off his armor, and starts removing his clothing. When he removes his shirt, you notice for the first time the intricate patchwork of scars across his back. The scars run from the base of his neck to the ankles, and they all look old. * Tia splashes her face with water from the fountain. Heehee! Look at this fountain, Sey! Yeah, it's really pretty! Yeah! [ Both baths are under a large cloth tent, presumably to keep the people in the surrounding towers from looking at all the naked furrless visitors. The innkeeper runs off, and returns with large, exaggerated towels, which he arranges on stands near the pool. He then makes noise at Bob, who asks, "Would you like your food brought here?" ] Food! * Patrick smiles. He goes to the men's side and doesn't bother looking at the scars as he undresses. Not a bad idea. Yes, bring the food here. * Seylin calls back, "That'd be lovely!" * Ariake looks at the fountain. "Ooh, nice work...": * Patrick shrugs. "Sure." ^_^ * Tia grins at Ariake. * WillS struggles to get out of his armor. "Er, can somebody help me out?" I can. Hold on Cool Thanks. * HKenji slowly disrobes, revealing far more of his skin than anybody has really seen before. He's got a fine network of scars on his arms and back, though not so vicious as Vall's, and he has a symbol branded on his right bicep, one of the symbols that graces the front of his kimono. * Vall heads over, and helps Will out of his armor. * Patrick laughs. "Man, I'm surprised you don't fry in there." [ "Will do." He and the innkeeper leave you all to your designated onsen episode. ] * Patrick is, um, a guy. And he doesn't have silly scars or anything, you freaks. It's shiny armor. Reflects sunlight nicely. :D * Tia wastes no time in flinging off her breastplate and undergarments. Giggling, she jumps straight into the bath, causing a great upheaval of hot water. Yeah, sure. You know, tin foil reflects light too. Ahhhhhh. * Vall gets splashed with the tsunami Tia caused? * WillS is finally ready to take a shower. "Thanks for your help Vall" [ The level of water in the women's bath goes way up when Tia immerses herself, then gradually begins to go down. ] No problem. * Tia has an expression of utter rapture. * Ariake heads into the bath. "Oh, this is great..." * HKenji cleanses himself thoroughly, rinses, and then steps into the bath for a nice soak. * Patrick showers down, then heads into the bath. "So, is this what you do all the time in... Where were you from again, Kenji?" I love baths! Rokugan, Patrick. * WillS finishes showering and enters the bath. "Ahh. This is nice." Rokugan, right. There are few things that feel so good after a day of training as a good soak. * Tia rolls onto her back and sighs contentedly as her tail lazily stirs the water. * Seylin slips into the bath, letting her hair hang free around her shoulders. "Ahhh. This is wonderful..." * Patrick smiles and leans back. "Should have them bring this custom to Brightenhome." Not a bad idea, Pat. I used to take lots of baths back at home, only the water was usually cold. I miss sitting in the pool with Papa. * Seylin closes her eyes and leans back. "Mmmm..." So, how do you think our expedition is going so far? ^_^ * Vall leans back, sitting up against the wall. It's fun! Well, I'm a bit concerned. I'd like to ask Bob about the drow he mentioned earlier. We got pancakes, and we got to play with cute bat-men. What? The bad people? Are they here? * Tia sits up suddenly in the water. * Tia eyes her axe lying by the side of the bath. When he first saw us, one of the first words out of his mouth were "You're not really drow". No, Tia. Not here now. * Seylin seems disinclined to move much. * Patrick stays low in the water. "Well, you live underground, you're gonna get a lot of drow." [ The Innkeeper returns, setting up large, wooden, covered bowls near each bath. Some have ribs or sausage in them, some are full of very dark bread, and some are full of brown pancakes with syrup on the side. ] (You mean puncakes? :P) * Tia relaxes visibly. "Oh, okay." She smiles, relieved. * Seylin opens one eye. "Food's here!" * Tia sniffs the air. "Pancakes!" I want to know which way they are, though. I also want to know more about their dealings with Byron... I don't think we'll get a straight answer out of him, but the desmodu aren't talking either. * Ariake looks up. "Excellent!" * Patrick stays mostly in the water. "I think it's obvious. The ones down here and the ones up there most likely have a difference in religion or taste." Or the ones above have been enslaved. Too obvious, Pat. I'm leaning towards agreeing with Kenji on this one. * Tia has crammed her mouth full of food and cannot talk. :) Think about it. Why would Desmodu be above ground? And I was getting to that, actually. * Vall stands up, and heads over to the food platters. "Save some for us, Tia." I don't think Bryon's evil enough to enslave bats Kenji [ As I said, there's a group for each bath. Just in case you guys get it in your head to try to see the girls naked with the excuse of getting food. ] That entire valley reminds me far too much of Crane lands to believe that something isn't wrong. (*heh*) (Dangit!) (that hasn't stopped us before.) (Just make sure there's enough food, 'cause if it runs out, Tia's going to the men's side.) The Bahamut shrine is real though. As are all the shrines in Crane lands, to Fortunes and Ancestors both. Yes, but you fell asleep meditating in there, and had a headache afterwards. That doesn't normally happen in a Bahamut shrine, does it? That doesn't mean there isn't a dark underside to the place. * Seylin is still in the water. She might eat something later, but right now, soaking is far too comfortable. * Patrick shrugs. "Who they worship doesn't determine their feelings." * Vall grabs a few pieces of sausage and a small piece of bread. * Tia is reaching over to grab food while still sitting in the bath. She is eating happily and, miraculously, not dropping crumbs into the water. You want some, Sey? * Seylin sits up. "Sure." She makes her way over to the food. * Tia passes a bowl to Seylin. * Tia giggles when she sees Ariake sleeping in the bath. * WillS frowns. "True that. I had the most disturbing vision there now that I think about it." * Patrick smirks. "What did you see?" Oh? Describe it? * Seylin giggles at Ariake, makes sure she'll stay above water, then looks towards the guys' side. "Hey, what're you talking about over there?" Something about the sun being blocked out. Go on... * Tia empties her bowl. "Do you think they have more food over there?" she whispers to Seylin. * Patrick calls over. "Talkin' about a vision Will had." What kind of vision? Over where, Tia? * Vall slowly eats as Will talks. * Tia motions at the wall dividing the two baths. That's their food, Tia. Not ours. You can have my share, if you want. I don't eat all that much. And Ariake's a bit indisposed. If I recall correctly, a massive hand blocks the sun and resulting in massive pain. I passed out soon after that. [ The Innkeeper brings Tia more food, because he doesn't want to be eaten. And because he was very well paid. ] Okay! I hope she won't mind if I eat hers... Interesting. Do you remember anything else? It's quite disturbing and I certainly don't want to see that again. I don't think she will, Tia. * Seylin tries to hear what the guys are talking about. [ Seyling succeeds. ] Not really. I think the vision was not completed because that hand was interfering. Hmm... * Tia is busy eating Ariake's share, as well as the fresh helpings just brought in. * Patrick gets up to procure some food. "So, you have an incomplete vission. That's great." So your... god sent you a vision and it was blocked by some outside force? * Patrick smiles as he munches down on a pair of ribs. "Well, something's rotten in paradise. And I don't mean the tomatoes." ^_^ I think so. Bahamuts vision are usually quite soothing. Have his visions every shown anything negative in a positive light? If possible, could you try and, perhaps, ask him to send you another vision? or a replay of the same vision? * Seylin munches idly as she listens to the guys talk about things. No visions are supposed to be painful. Unless you've displeased Bahamut of course. * Patrick chuckles at this. What's your opinion, Sey? * Tia swallows a huge mouthful of food. "I heard Bahamut's a dragon. Is he?" I cannot advise you in this matter, unfortunately. I am no priest. Yes, yes he is. ^_^ Is he a mist dragon, too? If something is threatening Bahamut though, I'm definately going to stop it. Well, it definitely sounds bad. So you think something was interfering with you, Will, rather than it being a vison of wrongness in itself? Yeah * Tia just sits and gnaws happily on a piece of bone. The whole vision thing is going right over her head. That's not good. It'd have to be something really powerful to interfere with a cleric of Bahamut in a shrine to Bahamut... provided the shrine's legitimate. Which it supposedly is. It is. I checked. But something is definately wrong. Huh? Something's wrong? * Tia gives Seylin a puzzled look. Do you have any idea what it could be, though, Will? Sorry. Not right now. * Tia yells through the wall, "What's wrong, Will?" * Tia glances over at Seylin. "Did he trip over his armor again?" No, he didn't trip over his two-inch thick armor. * Patrick grins. Oh. 'Cause I can carry it for you, you know. If it's too heavy. * Tia grins. * WillS smiles. "I'll keep that in mind, Tia." Okay. I like helping! * Tia downs another bowlful of ribs and sausages. You can have my plate of puncakes too, Tia. I don't have much appetite right now. Okay! * Tia jumps out of the bath, shakes off the water like a dog, and starts moving toward the men's side....(!) Tia, wait! Don't go there! * Tia stops in her tracks. "Huh?" * Patrick sees the shadow. "Tia, might want to stop." C'mon back, Tia. You can't go over to the guys' side. * Tia stops and wags her tail. "I was just going to eat Will's pancakes." What's wrong with going to their side? * HKenji stands up. "I'll be in my room if you need me for some reason. Because... they... don't have any clothes on? * HKenji climbs out of the bath and walks across to gather his clothes. Sure thing Kenji. * HKenji completely ignores Tia. No problem. * Tia mulls over that for a moment. Is that bad? A lot of people get embarassed about that sort of thing. Oh. Why? * Vall shouts over "No!" (move that up to right after Tia's asking "is that bad?") * HKenji walks right past Tia, and calmly begins dressing. * Tia is still in the female side of the bath, by the way. * JesseLman is now known as Istvan * Tia is confused, but she doesn't proceed. She waits expectantly for Seylin's explanation. Um. Well... it's complicated. * Istvan finally makes his saving throw vs. Brooding Silence, and makes his way over to the men's side, toting along his considerable pile of gear while wearing only a pair of swim trunks. Putting his stuff down by the waters edge, he slowly lowers himself into the water, still not saying much. It's nothing you need to be worried about, Tia. * HKenji finishes dressing himself and heads to his room. Um, okay. So can I get my pancakes? Maybe we can get one of the inn staff to bring them over. Okay. * Tia grins and jumps back into the water. * Seylin lets out a quiet breath. * Istvan is, by the way, a big fellow. Not ridiculously cut in a bodybuilder sorta way, but just generally built like an orc linebacker. * Tia grins slyly at Seylin, then sweeps her wing and splashes Seylin. * HKenji is now known as SleepDebugger * Seylin gets splashed and laughs. "Hey!" She wingsplashes back. * Tia splashes Seylin again and giggles. * Istvan continues with his distinct lack of dialogue, but does manage a contented grunt as he eases into the hot water. * Seylin laughs and returns fire! * Tia tailswipes the water and sends another splash Seylin's way. ... s'good to be outta that damned armor for once. * Seylin dodges and wingsweeps back at Tia. At least yours isn't like Will's. Took two of us to get his off. * WillS grins. "Mine is shinier." Yeah, that'd be a pain. Still... if it weren't for the whole 'not wanting to be gutted' thing, I'd be perfectly content doing all this in my mining clothes. Yeah. Thick armor protected my hide too often for me to count. * Patrick shrugs. "I do it all in normal clothing. Just slap some leather padding and a chain shirt on and you're good for adventuring." * Patrick eats puncakes. Mmm, puncakes. * Tia ducks and gets splashed anyway, but she laughs delightedly. She jumps in the bath, sending a mini tidal wave at Seylin. * Vall nods. "There was a time when I thought I'd make it with simply masterwork stuffed leather. Then I got hit by a damn orc with a longbow." He fingers the sole scar on his chest. * Istvan raises an eyebrow. "Easy for an archer to say, Pat." * Patrick sits down. "My older siblings would say the same. And they're anything but archers." Even as an archer, I've had to deal with things attacking from the rear, so I had to get some melee under my belt. * Istvan pffts. "Maybe it's all the time I spent with dwarves, but anyone who wades into melee wearing anything less than banded mail's a damned fool." Why do you think I went and got that suit of mithril breastplate? Was directed at Patrick, Vall. Pat's probably never fought in melee. * Seylin gets smacked with the tidal wave and raises a hand. "I surrender!" She giggles. Smart guy, then. *smirks* * Patrick smirks. "You'd be surprised. Let's just say my family's... very adventurerous." * Tia giggles too. "Does that mean I win?" Yep, you win! I'm decently handy with a bow, but... hell, look at me. I ain't built for stealth and sniping. I'm built for walking up to stuff and smashing it. True, true. * Tia cheers with a resounding roar. * Istvan winces slightly at the roar, but thankfully realizes it's Tia. Otherwise, he'd be going for his war pick. * Seylin laughs. * WillS nods. "The direct method is the usually the best I'd say." * Tia giggles. Whoa. What's Tia so excited about? * Patrick laughs. "Straight trough the head. Straightest path there is." Sounds like a waterfight between the girls. You have to ask? I'm surprised one of you hasn't peeked yet. * Istvan deadpans. " 'sides, somebody's gotta keep the things with the big teeth and nasty claws busy while you frail archer types do your jobs." * Vall snickers. * Patrick smiles. "While we do our jobs is right. I'm not too sure about frail, though." Hey, I think Ari's getting a little wrinkly. Oh, okay. Let's get her out. I'm tougher than I look. ^_~ * Seylin gets a towel and sets Ariake on it, then drapes another one over her. * Tia wades over and lifts Ariake gently out of the water, slinging her over her shoulder. Yeah, sure you are. ^_^ * Tia steps out of the water and drips for a few seconds before the rest of the water absorbs into her skin. * Seylin dives back in and comes up. "Ahhhhh." * Tia grins at Seylin. Well, what's the toughest opponent you've ever faced? And don't tell me the tarrasque, I've heard that one before. I love baths! Me too. ^_^ * Tia calls over, "I'm full now, Will, so you can eat your pancakes." She grins. * Patrick dries himself off and puts his clothes on again. "Toughest opponent I've ever faced, hmmm? Well, I did take Arletha on at one point. I suppose she'd be really though." Arletha? I don't think I've heard this tale. Of course you haven't! She's my sister. * Patrick smirks. * Seylin calls over. "She beat you, too!" She got lucky! * Tia replaces her clothing and armor, grabs her axe in her free hand, and grins. "I'll race you back upstairs!" I suppose mine was a young adult green dragon. * WillS grins. "You lost to your little sister Pat? " * Vall stands up and gets out as well, toweling off. Suuuuuuuuuuuuure she did! * Seylin giggles. I'm gonna stay in a little longer, Tia. You go have fun. She's my elder by three years. * Patrick smiles. "Of course she did." ^_^ * Tia nods and smiles. "Okay!" Holding the towel-wrapped Ariake securely over one shoulder, Tia bounds out of the bath tent and dashes up toward the rooms. What about you, Ist. What was your toughest opponent? * Seylin just giggles. Keeeeenji! Wait for me! ... could say it was before I had any fighting training, and me'n my mining company fought off an entire orc raiding party. Or some of the dwarven weaponmasters who taught me to fight. But... * Tia disappears up the stairs. (She's officially exited. :) ) * Istvan laughs, somewhat bitterly. "My toughest opponent, one I've never quite been able to beat, is expectations." * Seylin takes one last good soak, then reaches for a towel. * Vall chuckles. * Patrick smirks. "Well, I'm done here. I'll be up in my room." ^_^ What about after training? * Seylin towels off, then gets dressed. She heads off, calling to the guys, "Later, guys! I'm off to take a nap." Later, Seylin! After training, I came to school. And nobody really wants to fight me there. * Patrick heads off at almost the exact same time. "See ya later guys." Later, Pat. I've had some adventuring before coming to the school, so I've had some tough opponents. * WillS stands up, dries off and gets dressed. "I'm done here too." The yound adult green dragon, the shambling mound, and the ogre- mage death cleric were my toughest opponents to date. * Patrick catches up to Sey and whispers something to her as they walk up the stairs. I'm not sure how we managed to survive that one, to be honest. * WillS walks to his room slowly, lugging his armor behind him. * Vall gets dressed, and heads for his room as well. "Well, see you in a few hours." m'gonna soak a bit. Got some more brooding to do. [ Session end! ]